When my trust hung from the thin thread of justice
And the hearts of my lamps were smashed into tiny pieces
All over town
And the childlike eyes of my love were blindfolded
With the black kerchief of law
When blood was gushing forth from the anxious temples of my desire
When my life was nothing other than the ticking of the clock
I realized that I must love
That I must madly love.

This is an excerpt from the poem “Window” (1967) by Forugh Farrokhzad, translated by Farzaneh Milani from the Persian. Shirin Neshat is an artist and director of the film “Women Without Men.”

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